USDA Food Hall: Affordable Dining Near the National Mall

Decent cafe, besides the novelty of eating in a federal office on a weekday there's nothing special about it, but it's open early if you are nearby the National Mall and want to get breakfast. When you go in let them know you want to visit the cafeteria and you will get a sticker. You have to pass through a security check first. Breakfast special was surprisingly expensive, $11.99 for a small entree and two sides which consisted of 1 biscuit (split in halves, this counts as 2 biscuits apparently), gravy, a small scoop of eggs, and 2 small sausages. In the morning nothing is open except the breakfast and smoothie station.

It was ok. You have to go through security and as a first timer it can be overwhelming. When we got to the cafeteria we didn’t know what to expect. Some reviews say there is a buffet but there wasn’t one when we went. It was more so the mall type cafeteria where each location served different foods cooked to order. There wasn’t any bottled water but there was a machine in the dining area. Dining area was huge with a lot of seating.

This is a hidden gem right off of the national mall. You have to go through security (quick), but then they will point you to a cafeteria with healthy food and great prices. Very close to the Holocaust museum and the Bureau of Engraving and printing.

Grading on a curve, considering price and available options in the area—3 ate well for $30 total. Hits were hamburger, fajita chicken, salad, yogurt parfait, and friendly service. Pizza was just okay. While you could probably spend twice what we did—folks on a budget should be able to do the same and have a nice lunch. Easily a go to choice for the next time we visit!

If you read D.C. guidebooks of the past, you'll find pages of cafeterias. They were full of food, tables, and often at more affordable prices. The USDA Cafeteria is an ode to the past. Open to the public Monday-Friday for breakfast and lunch, enter through Wing 3. (There's a sign.) Bring I.D. and be prepared to go through security. It's quick. You're given a sticker badge and directed to the cafeteria. It's a spacious cafeteria with plenty of tables and booths with outlets in one large open room. When space is tight in D.C., it's a great place for large groups like tourists. There are fewer choices compared to pre-pandemic, but it still offers several stations like a salad bar, a hot food section, sandwiches, hamburgers, Chinese food, Korean food, and more. There's also a breakfast counter that sells acai bowls, croffles (croissant waffles), oatmeal, and fruit cups. The bars are pay-by-the-pound. Prices are still D.C. prices, but a little more affordable compared to area restaurants. Again, the space is large, but no frills. There are old school USDA posters on the walls, some with nutritional facts.

Kinda disappointed at the usda cafe. The salad was decent, but the banh mi sandwich was far far away from baseline. I mean I don’t expect the best banh mi but it should look close to the shown on the menu. It had a tiny amount of shredded beef instead of the strips of beef shown on the picture. It was mostly vegetable in it. It was also served on a dinner roll rather than the French roll shown.

The food was good, the service was good, and there was plenty of seating. Restrooms were conveniently located nearby. And it was also less than a block from the smithsonian metro station. All around it was one of the best food and customer service experiences I had in Washington D.C. near the mall.

Very good food at locally-reasonable prices. Wonderful selection and very amusing food guideline posters from over the years. Enjoyed seeing an older government building that has served us all for decades. The armed security police at the cafeteria public entrance were very put-out to see us arrive, however. We walked in the correct, advertised door at 12:30 and said "Hi. Visitors to the cafeteria" and were responded to with "She ain't here." Beg your pardon? After a moment of silence, they began arguing as to which of the two of them had to stand up and process us. After a couple of rounds, the far guard lost the argument, shuffled to his feet and told us to step outside and around, and he would run us through his metal detector instead. As he mumbled orders, it was tough to understand what clothing items should come off and stay on while we stripped down. Not what was anticipated when visiting a publicly-funded institution which advertises "Open to the Public". Two other security guards we met were very cheerful and funny, sadly they were not greeting folks at the door. Food was great. Would not return.